Cheng Pei-pei, an iconic Chinese actor known for her roles in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Come Drink With Me," has died at age 78.
Cheng had long been battling a degenerative brain disease before she died Wednesday in the San Francisco Bay Area, Variety reported. She has donated her brain to medical research.
Born in Shanghai on Jan. 6, 1946, Cheng moved to Hong Kong in 1962 and soon rose to prominence with the Shaw Brothers studio. Although she kick started her career with the drama "Lovers' Rock," she gained fame for her role in the 1966 martial arts film "Come Drink With Me," directed by King Hu. The film launched her career while also influencing future female-led action movies in East Asia. The film was considered for an international feature Oscar but did not receive a nomination.
In the 1970s, Cheng moved to California, where she attended business school at the University of California, Irvine. Her career saw a major revival with her role as Jade Fox in the 2000 film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," which won four Oscars and was the first foreign-language film to earn over $100 million in North America.
Cheng continued to act in both Hong Kong and the U.S., appearing in movies like "Naked Weapon," "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li," as well as in "Lilting" (2014) and Disney's 2020 live-action "Mulan."
"She loved being an actress and knew, even with her hard work, how fortunate she was to have the career she had," her family said in a statement. "Our mom remained humble and approachable, patient and kind, and always generous with her time, eager to help others whenever she could. She will be dearly missed."
In 2019, Cheng was diagnosed with a rare neurodegenerative disease similar to Parkinson's, known as Corticobasal degeneration (CBD). She kept her diagnosis private and spent her remaining time with her family.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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